Izikel still couldn't wrap his head around it. The vast expanse of stars that stretched endlessly across the sky were not just celestial bodies, but the dreams of countless individuals. Each shimmering point of light represented the thoughts, fears, and desires of someone, somewhere.
But were there really this many people alive? His eyes swept across the cosmic horizon, and the sheer number overwhelmed him. Trillions of stars blinked and pulsed in the infinite night, spreading far beyond what he could perceive.
It was staggering.
And yet, he forced himself to focus.
"That still doesn't explain what 'divining the known' means," he muttered, grounding himself in the conversation at hand. He could marvel at the celestial dreamscape later.
The voice of his guide, ever-present and composed, answered smoothly.
"Divining the known is simply uncovering something that has already been discovered by someone, somewhere in the world. The more widely known the information is, the easier it is to divine. For example, the gun you just attempted to create."
Izikel absorbed the explanation quickly, but that last part irritated him.
"Easier? I was inches away from death!"
He exhaled sharply, his chest rising and falling as the memory of his near-death experience lingered. The emptiness, the sheer terror of his soul being drained, still clawed at the edges of his mind.
But now, it all made sense.
This power, this 'divining the known,' was a gateway to infinite knowledge, but it came at a terrifying cost. He could learn any secret as long as someone else in the world already knew it. However, the fewer people who knew the truth, the greater the strain on his soul. Right now, if he attempted to divine something too obscure, he wouldn't just be weakened, he would die.
The implications of that sent a shiver down his spine.
Yet, the potential…
His thoughts raced, possibilities unfolding before him. This applied across worlds. Not just his current one, but Earth as well. That meant he could pull knowledge from modern civilization and bring it here.
Weapons.
That was his first thought.
If he could divine something as simple as a revolver, then what about something far deadlier? Automatic rifles. SMGs. Rocket-propelled grenades. Missiles. He clenched his fists, eyes glinting with ambition. Nuclear warheads. That would be the pinnacle.
But then, the reality hit him like a brick wall.
Just how many people on Earth actually knew how to construct nuclear weapons?
A handful of specialized engineers? Perhaps a hundred thousand at best?
The gun had nearly killed him, and that was common knowledge among gun enthusiasts, survivalists, and criminals alike. With over seven billion people on Earth, at least a million would have some understanding of how firearms worked. And yet, even that had nearly drained him dry.
A weapon of mass destruction?
That would be suicide.
Izikel let out a breath, forcing his excitement to cool. No, this wasn't something he could afford to play with. It was a coin toss between gaining knowledge and dying in the process. For now, he had to grow stronger, only then could he consider attempting something riskier.
His thoughts were interrupted as his eyes drifted back to the glowing stars. He narrowed his gaze, and suddenly, he saw something strange, figures.
The stars weren't just lights; they held images, faint silhouettes moving like actors in a play. Scenes. Stories. Lives. It was like watching a distorted movie, the brightness obscuring the details.
Two stars caught his attention, both eerily familiar.
The first showed the tale of a little girl who picked up a spear and, through sheer will and devotion, became a saint.
Sophia.
The other… He didn't even need to think. He could feel it.
Lyzah.
His breath hitched as he reached out instinctively, fingers brushing against the glowing star, and then he was pulled inside.
Falling into a Dream
Izikel was weightless.
Images flickered past him, rushing by in a blur, memories, fantasies, fragments of thought. They swirled together, forming a chaotic stream of consciousness. Some images were sharp and clear, others warped like a painting smeared by careless hands.
For a brief moment, he panicked, was he trapped?
Then the realization settled in.
"So this is Dream walking?"
His voice echoed through the vast space.
The guide answered, her tone light with amusement.
"Yes. You can enter anyone's dream, but in order to identify them, you must have made physical contact with them in the real world."
Izikel frowned, recalling the brief touches he had exchanged.
Sophia hugged him when he woke up.
Lyzah, he had hugged her too.
But then there was Dremlin.
The dark creature had placed a hand on his shoulder a couple of times, yet there was no trace of his dream.
'I guess dark creatures don't dream,' he mused, the thought unsettling.
Shaking it off, he refocused on the chaos around him.
"Why is it so chaotic?"
"Because dreams are unfiltered fragments of the soul," the guide explained. "You are seeing her thoughts, memories, and fantasies all at once. It will take time before you can make sense of them. For now, I can navigate for you, if you know exactly what you're looking for."
Izikel pondered for a while, he intended to learn the truth behind the accident, so maybe that was where he needed to start from.
"I want to see the day she stabbed Izikel… I mean, me."
"Understood."
A force pulled him forward, dragging him through the swirling imagery. The further he went, the brighter it became. A blinding light.
When the light faded, he found himself floating above the scene like a ghost. Below him, he saw himself and Lyzah in a heated argument.
Izikel grinned. "I am like a ghost."
But his amusement was short-lived.
A slow, steady drain began to creep over him.
His soul energy was depleting, only this time being in contact with the Altar was able to slow down the process.
'At this rate, I won't be able to stay here for long…'